Stay With Me
by Keleficent
Summary: "Do you know how much it hurts to lose your twin? It hurts so bad, Dipper. I don't want to see Mabel go through that. You can't leave her, Dipper." Stan's tears landed on Dipper's face. "You can't leave me."
"So, I just figured I'd chill out on the roof for a while," Dipper said into the camera.

"I'm gonna find you, kid!" Stan's angry voice rang through the air.

Dipper decided seeing Stan's tattoo wasn't worth incurring his wrath further. It was probably time to end this episode of his Guide to the Unexplained. He gave his outro and turned off the camera.

As Dipper set the camera down, he failed to realize he was on an incline, and his camera slid off the roof. He had no time to worry about whether his camera was alright because it just gave away his position to Stan below.

"Aha! Found you, kid!" Stan pulled himself up the roof. Dipper tried to escape in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, you don't." He grabbed Dipper's wrist, but he slipped out of Stan's grip. Unfortunately, the action caused Dipper to stumble backward.

"Whoa, kid, be care-" But Dipper was unable to gain his footing and fell backward off the roof.

"Dipper?" Stan stood dumbfounded after watching his nephew disappear from sight. He expected Dipper to cry out, yell, or something, but what he heard was much more unsettling: silence.

"Kid?" Still no answer. Stan looked over the edge and saw Dipper laying on the ground not moving. "Kid!"

Stan got himself down and was by Dipper's side in an instant. "Oh my god! Dipper!"

When Dipper's back hit the ground, he didn't feel anything at first. It was like everything moved too fast for his brain to know how to react. His mind seemed to decide agonizing pain coursing through his body was the appropriate response. He would have screamed if not for the wind being knocked out of him.

He heard Stan yelling from far away. Oh yeah, Stan was mad at him. Really mad. He had to hide. But his body refused his brain's order to get up.

"Don't move, kid." Stan sounded much closer now. Dipper saw a blurry hand reach towards him. Thinking Stan was still angry, Dipper flinched. "Dipper, relax, it's okay."

Stan called someone on his phone. Dipper was having trouble focusing on the conversation. It was like a bad radio signal; words kept fuzzing in and out.

"…name is Stan Pines…nephew fell…618 Gopher Road…need an ambulance…"

Ambulance? He wasn't hurt that bad, was he?

"Dipper…" Stan's voice cut through his delirium. "Dipper, I called for help. You're gonna be fine, okay? Just hang on."

Stan noticed Dipper was shivering. "What's wrong, kid?"

"Cold."

Considering it was a hot summer day, there was no way that could be good. Stan took off his black suit jacket and put it over Dipper. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks." Dipper breathed in the scent of the clothing placed on top of him. It had Grunkle Stan's weird old man smell: a scent he and Mabel usually teased him about. Now, the familiarity of the scent reassured him that Grunkle Stan was nearby. It made him feel safe, protected.

"It hurts, Grunkle Stan."

"I know, kid. I know." Stan felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do to ease Dipper's pain. All he could think to do was run his hands through Dipper's hair. It was comforting to the injured boy, soothing his pain. In fact, it felt like the pain was starting to go away…

"Dipper, open your eyes."

When had they closed?

"Dipper, look at me."

He was trying but everything hurt, and he was so tired.

"Dipper, don't go to sleep."

Stan sounded so afraid. That made Dipper feel afraid too. What will happen to him if he goes to sleep? Oh god, he was hurt really bad, wasn't he?

"Am I gonna die?" Dipper spoke so quietly that Stan's old ears nearly missed it. Stan almost wishes he had.

"You're not gonna die. You'll be okay, I promise." Stan was trying to convince himself as much as Dipper, but the experienced conman couldn't keep the uncertainty out of his voice.

"I'm scared." Dipper started crying overwhelmed by pain and fear. "I don't wanna die, Grunkle Stan."

"Shh, don't be scared, Dipper. You'll be safe. I got you, okay? I got you."

He had to do something to keep Dipper awake. Maybe he should tell Dipper a story. But he told the kids all his stories (at least the ones he was willing to divulge), and they didn't seem enthralled the first time. He had to think of something that interested Dipper. "Hey, kid, if you stay awake, I'll tell you what my tattoo is."

"Really?" Dipper wanted to listen, but he was getting drowsier.

"Yeah, it's not really a tattoo. It's actually a burn mark."

Dipper only grunted in response. He couldn't keep his eyes open.

"You want to know the mysterious backstory behind it?" Stan could see he was fading. He had to say something, anything to get Dipper's attention. He'll tell his deepest darkest secrets if it kept Dipper with him.

"I got it when I was with…" Stan got an idea. If this didn't work, nothing would. "The author of the journals! I know the author of the journals! You want to hear that, don't you, Dipper?"

But Dipper remained unresponsive. If he wasn't reacting to Stan divulging the mystery Dipper had been obsessed with all summer, he was definitely unconscious now.

And he may not ever wake up.

"The author of the journals is my brother. We're twins like you and Mabel. I lost him a long time ago because of my stupidity, my anger." Now, Stan's anger may cost him someone else he loves.

"Do you know how much it hurts to lose your twin? It hurts so bad, Dipper. I don't want to see Mabel go through that. You can't leave her, Dipper." Stan's tears landed on Dipper's face. "You can't leave me."

The paramedics couldn't arrive soon enough. Stan watched the EMTs look over Dipper, put him on a stretcher, and load him into the ambulance. He followed close behind and sat next to him. He held Dipper's hand the entire way. They had given him a neck brace and an oxygen mask. Dipper looked so fragile, not at all like the smart, fearless boy he has come to know.

When they arrived at the ER, Dipper was taken away from him. He wanted to stay by his nephew's side and protect him, but he knew he had to give him up to more capable hands. God knows there was nothing he could do to help. He's done enough already.

As Dipper was taken into away, Stan tried not to think about the possibility that this may be the last time he'll see Dipper alive.

Mabel arrived at the hospital with Soos and Wendy. She was in hysterics and demanded to see her brother. She yelled at the nurses that she was Dipper's twin and offered her blood or one of her kidneys if he needed it.

Stan didn't know how to calm her down; he was barely keeping it together himself. Thankfully, Soos and Wendy managed to placate her without his help. Just in time too because Stan was worried they were going to get kicked out if she kept making a scene.

Mabel asked Stan what happened. He told her Dipper had fallen off the roof conveniently leaving out his role in the accident. His shame kept him from telling her the truth about why her brother was in the hospital. His shame of how he got his burn made him lash out at Dipper and hurt him. Just like how he lashed out at his own brother all those years ago.

The four of them waited for what seemed like an eternity in silence until…

"Mr. Pines?" The doctor's voice broke the four of them from their trance as they bolted up from their seats. Stan thought he had a good poker face, but this doctor gave him a run for his money.

"Is he…?"

"Your nephew is going to be alright."

Stan felt like he could breathe right for the first time in hours. He had to turn away from the doctor to support himself against the wall. He took off his glasses and rubbed his hand across his face. Soos put his hand on his boss' shoulder. For once, Stan didn't rebuff his handyman. Wendy went to rub his back while Mabel hugged him around his waist.

They were relieved to hear that Dipper suffered no permanent damage and was expected to make a full recovery. They wanted to keep him overnight for observation. Since visiting hours were over, only a guardian could stay with Dipper tonight.

"I don't wanna leave, Grunkle Stan. I can sleep out here." Mabel curled up on one of the hard chairs shuffling to find a comfortable position. "See? Perfectly cozy."

"You're not sleeping here, and you know Dipper would be telling you the same thing," said Stan.

Mabel would give anything to hear Dipper nagging her right now. "But I don't want to leave him alone."

"He won't be alone. I'll be with him." She opened her mouth to protest until Stan bent down to be level with her. "Mabel, do you trust me to look after your brother?"

Stan felt like slime for saying that since this was his fault in the first place. She shouldn't trust him if Stan was honest with himself, but he needed her to listen to him.

"You can stay with me, Mabel. We can have a girls' night," Wendy interjected. Stan was grateful to his teenage employee for not only taking in his niece in for the night but for distracting her from her brother's condition.

Soos spoke up as well. "Yeah, dude, we can come see Dipper tomorrow. And we can bring his nerdy, mystery books for him."

"Okay." Mabel resigned to her friends' reasoning. "Grunkle Stan, promise me you'll take good care of Dipper tonight."

"I promise, sweetie."

After saying goodbye to Mabel, Soos, and Wendy, Stan made his way to Dipper's room. He opened the door to find a sleeping Dipper hooked up to a heart monitor. Any other day, the beeping would have irritated him, but now, he was thankful to the machine for reminding him that his nephew was alive, no thanks to him.

Stan sat on the bed and reached for Dipper. He hesitated. The boy looked so fragile that Stan was afraid he might hurt him again if he touched him. But the injured boy looked so innocent and helpless as he slept that it invoked Stan's endearment.

Stan curled his fingers and stroked Dipper's face. He didn't feel like keeping up the tough-guy act right now. He had been trusted to take care of this boy, and he could have gotten him killed. He spent the whole day staying strong for Dipper's sake. Now, no one was around besides the knocked-out present company, so he had nothing to inhibit him from being affectionate towards his nephew.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there before Dipper began to stir. He was about to retract his hand until Dipper leaned into Stan's touch. After everything that happened, the least he could do was give Dipper whatever comfort he wanted. So, he continued to brush his fingers across Dipper's cheek.

Though he wasn't quite awake yet, Dipper registered that someone was touching his face. A touch that was familiar and loving. Dipper thought he must have been dreaming when he realized the comforting hand belonged to…

"Grunkle Stan?"

"Hey, kid, how you feeling?"

"Lousy." Dipper's fuzzy vision came back into focus. He didn't recognize the room he was in. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital."

"Hospital?" Dipper's vision came into focus. He looked at the clock on the wall. It read 3:18 am. "It's late, Grunkle Stan, shouldn't you be home?"

"I wasn't gonna leave you here alone." Stan's statement earned him a smirk from Dipper both amused and touched that he stayed. "Uh, you know, gotta make sure these doctors don't rob me any more than they already have."

Dipper felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered the accident that got him here in the first place. Stan hated spending money, and he was sure his hospital bill would be expensive. "I'm sorry, Grunkle Stan."

"For what?"

"The tattoo, it was none of my business."

"Don't worry about it."

"And for falling off the roof. I'm so stupid. I'll pay you back. I don't know how. Maybe I can do extra work at the shack or-"

"You wanna hush up for a second? I don't care about the money either. If it took every cent I had to save you, I would have done it."

"Really?" This was the guy that refused to go to a doctor after getting his own eye sockets burned by their ill-conceived plan to get him to see a rainbow. He would give up all his money for Dipper?

"Really. All I care about is making sure you're okay. Besides, I'm the one who owes you an apology. This is my fault. I overreacted, I lost my temper, and I hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Dipper couldn't believe he was seeing this side of his uncle. Stan was the least sentimental person he knew, and now, he seemed him so sad, so vulnerable. "You don't have to apologize, Grunkle Stan. You didn't hurt me. It was an accident."

Accident, yeah, so was him breaking Ford's project, so was pushing the Ford into the portal. He had a tendency to cause accidents, and those accidents had a tendency to devastate his life.

"I forgive you, Grunkle Stan." Dipper forgave him. He was forgiven for his mistake. That was a nice change (even though he probably didn't deserve it).

"Ugh, got something in my eye. You think a hospital would get dusted every once in a while." Stan rubbed his misty eyes to get rid of the so-called dust. "Thanks, kid."

Stan took Dipper's small hand in his large, rough one. Even though Dipper was smiling, he could see the kids was exhausted. "I guess I better let you sleep."

Dipper was tired, but he was hesitant to fall asleep. He remembered Stan's desperation to keep him awake earlier. "Is it okay for me to go to sleep? What if the doctors missed something? In all those medical shows, they think the patient's fine. But then, suddenly, they flatline. What if-"

"Shh…" Stan put his hand on Dipper's forehead. "You're safe, Dipper. I won't let anything happen to you."

"You won't leave me, right?" Dipper knew Stan would have an uncomfortable night, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to be all alone in a strange hospital.

"You can't get rid of me if you tried." Stan's voice was softer than Dipper has ever heard it. "Don't worry about me. Just get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."

With the assurance that his uncle was watching over him, Dipper let his eyes close. Just when he thought Stan couldn't surprise him anymore, he felt a kiss being placed on his forehead. He looked up at his uncle in shock.

"Grunkle Stan, did you just-?"

"No, that's just the painkillers making you hallucinate. Now, go to sleep, knucklehead."

Dipper gave him a tired smile before closing his eyes and sinking into oblivion.


End file.
